The only public special education centre in Getafe, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, hosts 161 students despite being designed for 120. The mayor, Sara Hernández, conveyed to the Education Minister the need for a second school due to the increase in early diagnoses.
The Getafe City Council has requested the Community of Madrid to construct a second Public Special Education Centre (CPEE) due to the overcrowding at the only centre of its kind in the municipality, Santiago Ramón y Cajal. The mayor, Sara Hernández, made this request directly to the Education Minister, Mercedes Zarzalejo, during a recent working meeting.
Santiago Ramón y Cajal currently accommodates 161 students, far exceeding its original capacity, which was intended for 120 pupils. Families have been complaining for years that the continuous division of spaces with partitions to increase capacity reduces classroom size and harms educational quality. The local government believes that this situation is unsustainable and that the only viable solution is the creation of a new public infrastructure.
“Specific classrooms in ordinary centres are a very positive model for inclusion, but the age range and resources are very different, making them insufficient and not excluding the need for a second specialised centre in Getafe,” explained Hernández. The municipality has 18 public schools that cater to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and two private special education centres, but places remain limited.
Concerns about the short-term future are also present. Early Intervention teams warn that the number of children with special needs in early childhood is increasing. This trend, combined with the current lack of resources, makes the creation of a new public centre essential to meet the actual demand in the municipality.
The Getafe City Council has been a pioneer in signing a collaboration agreement with APANID, endowed with 100,000 euros, for Early Intervention. This initiative aims to alleviate the lack of resources that the Community of Madrid provides to families, significantly reducing the waiting list and allowing children to receive early diagnosis and subsequent treatment, which is crucial for their proper physical and cognitive development.
The mayor has requested the Ministry of Education to prioritise the construction of the second centre. Meanwhile, the council continues to work on improving support for students with disabilities, although it insists that the definitive solution requires regional investment to expand the specialised educational offer in Getafe.
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